The gaming doldrums

[MrAndyPuppy]

I don't know if we've ever had this as a separate topic or not but since it happens from time to time as off-topic discussions in other threads, I thought I'd raise the question.

[admeister]

It's happened to me a few times, definitely. You just lose interest, you think of a game you want to play, and you can't think of one. They all seem to blur together into a big, generic mass. My longest has been about two months, but something always comes along eventually and inspires me. Last time it was Loco Roco that did it, I'd been playing a lot of games, and was out of it for a while, but it really got me back into the flow of things. Good thread.
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"The first person to prove that cow's milk is drinkable was very, very thirsty." - Fact Sphere.

[Tsargrad]

Quite a few times in my PS2 days. I'd not touch it for months at a time, and largely just watch DVD's instead. Eventually I'd get the bug.

I get it often now. I just sell the console and buy a different one, then vice versa. Sounds absurd, and it is - but thats what happens.
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[doubt]

I'm in one at the moment really because I have so many games it's becoming overwhelming. I do however have short, fun bursts of Mirror's Edge or Guitar Hero but all my other games get the switch-off-after-5-mins treatment. Quite depressing. Hope it passes soon.
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[bobboblaw]

A couple of years ago it happened to me. I've been a gamer all my life, and never really gone that long without playing, but from about the end of '05, I couldn't get into it anymore and rarely played. Around the middle of '06, Dragon Quest VIII was released, and I was interested in its' visuals and world, so bought that, loved it, finished it, but couldn't really get into gaming again. For the next 8 months or so, I never played, but that all changed with a little game called Okami. I was lost in that game for 50+ hours, doing every little thing I could for 100% completion, and it was the game that brought the spark back. The next month saw the release of the PS3, so after I got that I never looked back. Now I couldn't be any more into gaming.
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Steam: bobboblaw

[Peveus]

From late 2004 - early 2006 I played almost nothing. I even packed away all my consoles because they simply were not getting used. There was nothing at all I was interested in coming out during those two years, so in that time I got really heavily into DVD collecting instead.

In March 2006, Kingdom Hearts 2 was coming out in the US and reading about it got me interested, so I decided it would be the first game I ever imported. I really enjoyed it. Final Fantasy XII came out that October and was one of the best games I ever played. The one two hit combo from Square Enix is what got me back into the fold and I have never looked back. And bought nary a DVD since.
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Currently Playing: Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)

[Nietzsche]

Its happened to me. During the PS2 era near the end of the cycle. I didn't buy a new game for like 8 months and just got really depressed with the same old games. I didn't have much money so I brought cheap games which probably made it worse. What got me back into gaming was getting broadband and a new graphics card so I discovered online multiplayer games. Since then I have had the feeling every once in a while but it doesn't last as long luckily.

I can't see anybody getting that feeling lately as there have been such good games in the last two years.

[Sin Ogaris]

It's happening to me right now, of the games i have unfinished there is Castle Crashers, Fallout III, Condemned, Saints Row and a few others. I just don't feel up to finishing them though, Castle Crashers seems to be the only one I get enjoyment out of. What's wierd is that a week or two ago I was playing PoP all the time until I finished it. Now I don't even have the energy to go back to it and have a play around.

I'd almost wonder if it's because I have so many games unfinished, it's becoming excessively overwhelming and I'm constantly adding to the pile without really decreasing it. Oh well, build a bridge I guess.

[StompBrother]

I can only relate all too well. The whole chuck game in sigh and turn off after 5 minutes is truly the doldroms of gaming.

I thinkit's a mixture of things for me. Being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of games within a short time span, the amount of time and effort needed to invest in a game and most importantly there are just other things in life that reequire or need my spare time over gaming.

I'm not saying that gaming is getting stale, just phases you go through that unfortunately happens more the older I seem to get.

Although there are still games that still gets me immersed and absorbed and will finish. Eg Deadspace. Right now despite owning nearly all the AAA titles this season I found myself playing Sonic Unleashed over the other high profile games. Odd.

In the end I end up playing Puzzle Quest. I think it's the relaxing non-effort nature of the game that just hooks me for hours on end.
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[Dane Oss]

I had one about a week ago. I can't pinpoint the reason but Banjo Kazooie and COD World at war slapped me into the gaming geek I am.
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[Beep]

[Sin Ogaris]

They're the ones I'm actually trying to finish though, I mean, there's about a half dozen games on GC I left by the wayside when I got my 360 because I couldn't be arsed.

[AllSchoolGamer]

That happened to me a few years ago...i had the wii, xbox, xbox 360 and ps2....i didnt want to play any of em. but then i managed to get my hands on a megadrive and it was all good again. I found I just needed to get out of the current gen of systems and get back to what was fun instead of what was open world or an fps. The only other time i got that, I ended up learning the drums and being in a band for some years (I even sold my snes and about 30 games plus the scope, biggest mistake ever!) but then the dreamcast was out and it helped me snap out of it.
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[Canis-Rufus]

Okami broke me out of the habit. Thats probably why its my favourite game. I had never seen anything like it, and the gameplay was addictive. It was so unique, it was love at first sight.

Still my #1 game.

[unlachs]

i think over the last couple of years my gaming has been pretty stagnant, mostly just because of the transition to the new generation, so buying new consoles has meant less games

the biggest rut i can remember probably would've been around 2005-2006, but that's mostly because i was a cube-only gamer, and that thing was pretty much dead on arrival. but even back then i was still enjoying the few games that i had at the time (Metroid Prime 2, Jungle Beat)

currently the situation is the opposite for me, because there are all these awesome games, and i can't really get into any of them. a few months ago i was neck-deep in Oblivion, but once i'd well and truly finished that, i haven't really done any serious gaming.

here's hoping fallout3 gets me back into the swing of things.
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DON'T SURRENDER

[Gmoney]

Happening to me right now. Can anyone out there suggest a title for the 360 to pick up? I currently have $79.95 credit at GAME, and am desperate to use it.......
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[lennex15]

not sure what you've played but here's some great 360 titles (not necessarily exclusive)
Fallout 3 easily spend 50hrs on this
GTA IV 80hrs + on this exclusive DLC coming sometime soon
Dead Space
Fable 2
Gears 2
It all depends what genres you most prefer, get excited by.
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Döppel+Sig+Avatar=Kyser Soze+Respect

[doubt]

Update: I think Banjo (XBLA) and Puzzle Quest have snapped me out of it for now
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[AllSchoolGamer]

[Cody Giunta]

I went through a bit of a lull during the PS2/Xbox/Gamecube era and the story of how I broke it is rather disjointed though I will do my best to tell the tale.

At the time (late 2004/early 2005)nothing really excited me on any of the platforms and was going through a longer than normal stretch of generational lag. My brother had the PS2, yes, but played many games that didn't grab me.

When I started hearing about Twilight Princess on the Gamecube I started to get excited, so much so that my brother, mother and I bought a GameCube in anticipation for that. It was very generous of them to put most of the money towards it as I was probably going to be the one to play it the most. Of course Twilight Princess ended up being delayed which I was slightly miffed about and I was wondering what to play on the Cube.

Initially we bought Super Smash Bros. Melee and shortly after The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker and whilst both quality titles that I enjoyed playing I didn't feel like I'd truly got back on my gaming horse again.

Enter Resident Evil 4. Even though I hadn't played a Resident Evil game before I'd heard so much about it and in the back of my mind it was one of the reasons I wanted the Cube after hearing many good reviews (I think I even remember stumbling across the review of it here on PALGN and being impressed). A few weeks after the initial purchase of the Cube my brother bought it for me and we were both completely and utterly blown away by its awesomeness - the many gory deaths of Leon Kennedy, the suaveness of Luis Sera and the non-stop action that always gave a feeling of great excitement, danger and compelling gameplay. Even though it wasn't the game I bought the Cube for in the first place it proved to be the one game that really got me back into gaming.

I'd also have to say that Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater had a big hand as well; again it was a title that both my brother and I played together to the end and I found it to also be brilliant. I had some misgivings at first when I realised that it was a prequel(I even remembered asking a friend why Snake had an eye-patch on the front of the game and he told me it was Big Boss and I immediately facepalmed in response at not realising it earlier), but these were quickly dashed and I've found it to be one of the few prequels for anything(games, movies etc) that has been truly great and has added things to the story whilst also weaving its way into the past and future games and their respective chronologies, as anyone who's managed to finish both Snake Eater and Guns of the Patriots can probably attest.
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[IISpacebreakII]

I have an Xbox 360 with 7 barely touched games minus Kameo, a PS3 with 9 games of which a few aren't finished. Games were slowly dying for me, I haven't felt like I've been into gaming at all for the last ...8 months? It has been such a long time. Infact the only enjoyment I have been having is with Frasier on Kameo, and a random session of Guitar Hero (I Can do Expert songs now hooray).

Gaming has just killed me, but it might of been other things in my life that just consumed me. I hope I come back to the scene. I'm really tempted to play Digimon World/Harry Potter/YuGiOh on the PS1. Man I love those games ^^

[Starman]

+'d for havin the guts to say it spacebreak!
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[Gmoney]

[Dropbear]

I'm almost going through one now, but that's more of the fact that I haven't been able to upgrade to the next generation, and all our computers can't run anything made in the last 4 years.

Also, I'm busy as well with school, or WAS busy with school. Now I just lay around, playing freeware games.

*must get orange box...*
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#palgnchat: ruining PALGN's reputation since 2007

[Geoff Death]

I usually get this for periods of about a week or so after I finish something really good.

Like, after I played Prince of Persia recently, and then for a week I was in the frame of mind that went something like "Yeah, well I could play the new Call of Duty, but whats the point because its not a new Prince of Persia."

When I finish games (particularly linear ones), if I'm still wrapped up in them at that point I get pissed off that there isn't a sequel out yet and pout for a while. Happened with Gears 2 as well.